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Works announced for Florence, Kerby and Egan

The Town of Petrolia have announced that construction is set to commence this year on Florence, Kerby and Egan. The $2.6 million project will see a complete overhaul of the connecting roads. Melissa Schilz/Postmedia Network

The Town of Petrolia announced last week that council has agreed to move forward with a $2.6 million water, sewer and road reconstruction on three connecting streets north of Petrolia Line.

The town will be working in conjunction with MIG Engineering on the upcoming works on Florence Avenue, Kerby Street and Egan Avenue.

Chief Administrative Officer Manny Baron said the last time work was done on these streets was over 40 years ago, and the upcoming construction will see a complete overhaul, similar to what was seen on Petrolia Line last year. With a new waste water treatment plant set to open, the town is working to eliminate old infrastructure.

While a full timeline hasn’t been set as of yet, the town is working to arrange details and embark on the tendering process in coming weeks, according to a press release.

Staff have also completed a funding request of $628,917 to the new Clean Water Wastewater fund, which was announced in the 2016 federal budget. An amount of $596.6 million has been invested in the province of Ontario from 2016 – 2017.

The town is currently waiting on approval of funds from both the Federal and Provincial government, and Baron said in the press release that they are confident the funding will be announced soon.

The remaining cost of the project is set to be paid with reserves, municipal grants, as well as water and sewer reserves.

Council agreed to proceed with works despite no official announcement of funding, but the press release noted that work is overdue and something that residents have been hoping to see for the last several years now.

Mayor John McCharles said it is smart to have the groundwork ready and tenders out now so a contractor can be confirmed for an immediate start when nicer weather arrives.

The work will be done in two phases starting this year, with a completion date next year.